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Appalling. There is no other word for the shoddy way in which Alberta Health Services (AHS) administers the expenses of its executives and senior employees.

But the bigger scandal is the amount AHS employees charged to taxpayers — $100 million in less than a year-and-a-half.

News reports of Auditor General Merwan Saher’s investigation into AHS’s staff expense claims between April 2011 and August 2012 have focused on how many claims were reimbursed without proper supporting documents — little things like, you know, receipts.

More than 11% of requests for reimbursement of meals eaten out were paid even though no detailed receipt was attached – a violation of AHS policy. That means AHS staff were paid back for dining out even though there was too little proof their claims were justified.

Saher and his investigators also found that 1% of expense claims were approved by a person without authority to do so, or were paid out without being approved at all. Another 10% or so of claims for travel had either insufficient support for the mileage claimed or were paid on ineligible charges.

That’s awful enough. But what is really outrageous is the total amount claimed. Again, that sum is $100 million — $100 million!

At present, Alberta’s 10,000 doctors are asking for a fee increase of about $25 million a year. The government is telling them there isn’t enough money. Yet AHS had $100 million (about $71 million annually) for Flames season tickets, other hockey tickets, stampede passes, concert tickets, international travel, toys, clothes, food, books, gifts and thousands of other items.

The largest single claim during the period was more than $116,000 to pay the realtor’s commission on the house purchase of an employee AHS was recruiting to come to the province. That’s on a home of between $1.7 million and $3.2 million.

One AHS employee has a company credit card with a $900,000 annual limit. A dozen others have cards with limits of at least $180.000.

The CEO and a few other senior staffers get a vehicle allowance to help pay for the cost and operation of their cars. Yet on top of that they are paid $0.38 per km when driving outside the city in which they live.

And it goes on, and on, and on.

A total of 26,000 AHS employees made expense claims during the audit period. That’s an average per employee of $2,700 a year (nearly $3,800 each over the 17 months examined).

There are few if any private companies accountable to shareholders that would authorize 26,000 employees to rack up $2,700 each a year in expenses. Yet because the AHS is playing with taxpayers’ money, it approves such spending seemingly without hesitation (and without adequate bookkeeping in many cases).

Of course, the 26,000 eligible employees were not sharing the $100 million equally. Most made tiny claims. No doubt the bulk were from hospital managers and those further up the food chain – people who have decided their work is so vital to the public interest that they are entitled to live large on the taxpayers’ dime.

Whether or not they have receipts is less of a problem than the mentality that permitted this level of spending in the first place.

Last summer, when former AHS employee Allaudin Merali was fired for running up nearly $370,000 in expenses between 2005 and 2008, we were told no audits of additional executives were needed because Merali was a lone wolf and expense policies had changed since his time.

The Auditor General’s report shows Merali likely wasn’t alone. The provincial government should order an audit of AHS executives immediately.

GUNTER: Now is the time to audit executives with Alberta Health Services

Appalling. There is no other word for the shoddy way in which Alberta Health Services (AHS) administers the expenses of its executives and senior employees.

But the bigger scandal is the amount AHS employees charged to taxpayers — $100 million in less than a year-and-a-half.

News reports of Auditor General Merwan Saher’s investigation into AHS’s staff expense claims between April 2011 and August 2012 have focused on how many claims were reimbursed without proper supporting documents — little things like, you know, receipts.

More than 11% of requests for reimbursement of meals eaten out were paid even though no detailed receipt was attached – a violation of AHS policy. That means AHS staff were paid back for dining out even though there was too little proof their claims were justified.

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